Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1887-11-19
OYSTERS WITH BRAINS.
Remarkable Intelligence Of the Bivalves
Growing Near New Orleans.


Growing Near New Orleans.
Frank e. Wheaton, who used to be a
politician in New Orleans, but is now
a handler of all sorts of patterns in this
city, tells the following story:
1--WE used to have some great oyst 4
suppers in New Orleans. The oyster,
when | was there were so big that
dozen would do for a supper for half 4
dozen men. Some of the Bayou Cool
and Bayou Barrataria oysters were ;
foot long OF course they were tor
large to eat raw, but they made an eX
cellcnt fry. The best oysters | evc'
ate came from the edge Of the Gulf Of
Mexico, in the Mississippi Sound anj
Lake POnchartrain before the BonnC
Carrc crevasse sent the fresh water OF
the Mississippi river out into the l'kc
and destroyed the flavor of the bi.
valves. Do you know that rarro"nS
pre- .eycoGdinclv fond of oysters? Well
"One moonlight night was stand.
ing on the gallery of the lighthouse at
Cat Island, down ncar the Gulf A
party of Us were on our way to Goose
Point to hunt brant and curlew, and
rs we knew Sid Wilkinson, the light.
house keeper, we stopped over at Cat
Island one evening. 1t was bcauti'
full night and, though it was in De.
cember, man scarcely felt the need
of an overcoat The tide was at ebt
and Cat Island spit loomed up in tn,
moonlight like a long, black strip OF
mud running into the sound. This
spit, or promontory, was a mass OF
oysters, which spattercd and snapped
as they took in the atmosphere and
held social converse with each other.
You could walk out quarter of a mile
over them without getting your feet
wet and eat all you wanted. Th't Is,
if you could open them, because just as
soon as the oyster would see you he Il
shut up his shell with snap like the
breaking of twig. 1t was like walk
ing over dry brush the way those oys-
tcrs would snap at the approach of any
one,
Cat Island is full of 'coons, con-
tinucd Mr. Wheaton. taking IA fresh
start. "How they got there | don
know, as the island is twelve miles
from the nearest point of the main
land. reckon they voyagcd on logs.
Well, this night, while we were staTH'
ing on the gallery, we saw about Il
dozen 'coons creep out o. the spi:,
hunting for oysters. One old coon
sncakcd up behind a big oyster that
had his she'll wide open and stuck bis
paw in to get the succulcnt bivalvc
Quick as a flash the oyster clappc)
down ON him, and the coon yelled
He'd been there before, though. and
began to tug Mt the oyster TO get him
loose from the mud and sand. but thi
oyster was one of cluster and W.T.
too deeply imbcddcd to be moved
He hung to the coon Ike grim death,
and it looked as il the coon would hi
kept a priSoacr We were 50 inter
estcd in the struggle we stayed I,
watch it. The tide turned. and ut fou
o'clock in the morning all the othc
'coonS left the beach rs the water wa
too high. II got higher and higher hl
tie waves were curling over the spit
and il looked rs though tho 'cpol
would be drowned He made a las
desperate effort to move the oyster ant
then deliberately bit his paw oil IL
left the end of it in the oyster and hob
blcd of on three legs Sid and raj
down, and. after search of half IA
hour. found the spunky oyster as ii
was irving to eject the 'coon's paw an,
captured him. l reckon that Sid In
that 'coon-paw yet."-& I. Ercnin
Sun.